UC Berkeley Rebuffs Student Carrying Palestinian Flag During Graduation

In a move that surprised conservatives, administrators at UC Berkeley—historically one of the nation’s most progressive universities—withheld a diploma jacket from a graduating student as he walked across the stage carrying a Palestinian flag. This act caused a brief delay in the commencement exercises at the Richard and Rhoda Goldman School of Public Policy as a discussion ensued regarding the university’s clear “no flag” policy. After a short standoff, the student, identified as Hesham, handed the flag to someone in the crowd and was then allowed to complete his walk and receive his diploma cover.

In a defiant follow-up video, Hesham—a member of the local Palestinian Youth Movement—remained unapologetic about violating the campus policy.

“This small act that I took waving the Palestinian flag, and the repression that followed it, is a small example of the UC system’s wider complicity toward the ongoing genocide in Gaza,” he stated. “I’m demanding that UC Berkeley cuts ties with genocide, cuts ties with companies that are fueling this ongoing genocide.”

Predictably, the incident sparked a viral wave of online outrage from progressive activists, who claimed the move was an act of targeted political censorship. Yet the reality of the situation points to standard, content-neutral rule enforcement. UC Berkeley’s official, pre-published commencement guidelines explicitly list banners, signs, and flags as prohibited items within its graduation venues to prevent views from being obscured and ceremonies from being derailed. The Executive Vice Chancellor’s office had previously issued reminders reinforcing that while students may wear identity-based regalia, carrying large, disruptive objects onto the stage violates university policy.

We commend the UC Berkeley administrators for firmly enforcing their policy. At a time when universities nationwide are facing heavy scrutiny for allowing their campuses to be turned into pro-Palestinian activism camps following the October 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel, seeing Berkeley stand behind its policies instead of caving into the left is a welcome change.